Georgia courthouse shooting in Forsyth County leaves suspect dead

Forsyth County Courthouse in Cumming, Georgia was the locatoin of a shooting on June 6, 2014

Wikipedia

A shooting occurred on Friday morning after a sheriff’s deputy was shot at a Forsyth County courthouse in Georgia. The Forsyth County Sheriff’s department responded to a call regarding shots being fired at the building’s location. According to a UPI report on Friday, the scene of the shooting is now secure – after the suspect was shot and killed.

Reportedly, a man who shot at a sheriff’s deputy outside the courthouse was shot and killed in the shootout with the authority, according to Duane Forsyth, a County Sheriff. It is also being said that the shooter was armed with explosives and an assault rifle. It is believed that the suspect was intending to storm the courthouse and take hostages. Besides carrying an assault rifle and smoke grenades, the offender was seen wearing a gas mask and bulletproof vest.

At this point, it is unclear as to exactly when the offender was killed. His lifeless body was seen laying face down in handcuffs according to witnesses. His body was next to a crashed SUV with the SUV’s doors opened.

Due to the actions of the sheriff’s deputy who was injured in the gunfire exchange, however, the gunman never got inside the courthouse, says CNN. The incident, which occurred a few minutes after 11 a.m., ET, left the 25-year-old officer wounded. He is in stable condition.

Witnesses say that shots could be heard in front of the courthouse as two or three shots were fired. The area in and around the courthouse were evacuated as bomb-sniffing dogs searched for more explosives than were found on the suspect. They say deputies shot at a person who was in front of the courthouse. There has been no determination of a motive in the incident. The actual location of the shooting is in the town of Cumming which is some 35 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta.